Machinex recognized as Recycling Equipment Innovator of the Year

Plessisville, Quebec-based Machinex has been awarded Recycling Equipment Innovator of the Year by the National Waste and Recycling Association (NWRA), Arlington, Virginia. This accolade recognizes the Next-Generation MRF, an innovation installed at the Sherbourne Resource Park in Coventry, England.

The Recycling Equipment Innovator of the Year award is open to recycling equipment designers and manufacturers across North America that successfully challenge and advance recycling sector operations. It awards innovation in design and manufacturing that increases the effectiveness or efficiency of recycling equipment and operations, NWRA says.

At the Sherbourne Resource Park, Machinex has designed, manufactured and installed a sorting system featuring 19 SamurAI sorting robots, 14 optical sorters, including 13 Mach Hyspec optical sorters, a Mach Vision stream composition analyzer and multiple Mach Intell platforms facilitywide. Machinex says this ensures ultimate efficiency in an innovative state-of-the-art recycling facility. Achieving performance levels up to 99 percent purity and more than 98 percent recovery is the result of an optimized turnkey sorting system integrating dozens of proprietary technologies, the company says.

“We have developed a cutting-edge sorting solution capable of processing 52 tons per hour of residential single stream recyclables, reaching market leading purity levels with only five manual sorters,” Machinex CEO Chris Hawn says. “While we know we could meet our customer’s metrics, we could not do this at the expense of losing valuable recyclables to residue. Sherbourne Recycling is extremely pleased with both our purity and recovery rates.”

Machinex’s partnership with Sherbourne Recycling Ltd. allowed the companies to focus on designing a highly automated MRF that achieves quality product while maintaining sustainability. In designing Sherbourne Resource Park, Machinex says it has pushed the boundaries of its previous work and innovated beyond existing designs.

The level of purity achieved means that reclaimed materials are consumed locally rather than being exported as lower-grade materials to other countries. Data show a notable enhancement in recycling efficiency and effectiveness to maintain a 95 percent plant and equipment availability.

“This year’s awardees represent a shift to a circular economy embracing more reuse, reduction and recycling,” NWRA President and CEO Michael E. Hoffman says. “Through their innovative design, modernized facilities, education programs and dedication to finding new and more ways to reuse waste, the industry is leading economically viable solutions to a circular economy.”

According to the NWRA, Machinex's commitment to developing innovative solutions that enhance sustainability and efficiency in recycling operations is underscored by this award, highlighting its leadership and forward-thinking approach in the industry.